The Great Cape Cod Escapade

I tried to make this one of my goals for the last year, but I couldn't find the right time for such a ride. This year however, everything worked out well. Almost everything. Anyway, the bike was ready, I was ready, Elka and Dr. J were at the Cape staying at my in-laws house, so I thought that I could surprise them, take a day off on Friday and ride my bike from Arlington to Barnstable.

The big question, unanswered until the last moment, was the weather. I learned already that I couldn't trust the forecasts this spring and summer. This week's weather was very unpredictable. Either hot and cloudy or rainy and humid. I didn't mind riding in rain, but at the same time I wouldn't be happy if it was raining the entire ride. Fortunately, my bad luck ended and the weather was nearly perfect - warm, not too humid and mostly cloudy. It kept me cooler and the only time I had to wipe off sweat from my forehead was during a couple of steep climbs around Milton and Manomet.

 My route - Arlington to Barnstable.

I started with planning my route using RideWithGPS. I wanted to use as many bike paths as possible but since there aren't really any in my direction outside of Boston, I had to rely on some quiet local roads. Some roads I chose were just great places to ride, namely Harland St in Milton, Spring St from Rockland to Hanson and Oak/Grove St in Halifax - very little traffic and decent pavement. Some places were less pleasant such as Rt 3A from Manomet to Sagamore Bridge or Granite St in Braintree - heavy traffic, no shoulders.

There are some things I would change if riding this route in the future. The most important one would be to skip Rt 3A (State Rd) from Manomet and ride Old Sandwich Rd instead. Unfortunately, it seems that some things can't be easily changed. There seem to be no good place to cross I-93 without going too much around. I picked Granite St hoping that by the time I get there, the morning traffic will still be mild. I was right. Leaving early from Arlington was the best thing to do. I left my house at 5:45am and the city was slowly waking up, even though it was already pretty bright out there as the sun rose around 5:15am.

BU Bridge in early morning sun.

Riding through Boston at that time was a pleasure - very little traffic, morning breeze, mild air temperature. What surprised me though was number of people jogging along the Charles River at 6 in the morning. A popular location for early risers, for sure. I continued across the BU Bridge, along Jamaicaway, through Mattapan and towards Blue Hills in Milton, where I rode Chickatawbut Rd to Granite St and crossed I-93.

On the road through Blue Hills.

The view from Blue Hills. Boston is straight ahead.

Chicka-tika Rd.

At this point when I passed Braintree, the traffic was pretty light and I was moving faster than expected. My average speed was about 23km/h (14mph) and soon I reached Rockland, Hanson, Pembroke and then, at 9:30am, I reached Plymouth. Since originally I planned being in Plymouth about an hour later, having plenty of time, I decided to stop for breakfast. A thick egg sandwich and some water was plenty. The town was quiet and beautiful. There was a very light breeze from the ocean. Refreshing. I will have to come back to Plymouth some other time.

This fellow cyclist was on his way to somewhere far - judging from the trailer.

 

 Plymouth harbor.

The next goal was to reach the Sagamore Bridge - the only sensible way of crossing the Cape Cod Channel, unless I was planning on swimming across. I made a mistake by taking Rt 3A, instead of some local roads. The 3A was very busy, with no shoulders and the long climb to the village of Manomet was a bit strenuous at this point of my ride. I was moving slowly at 13km/h (8mph), being passed by multiple trucks. Definitely the least favorite part of the ride. At 11:40am, I crossed the Sagamore Bridge.

View from the Sagamore Bridge. Heavy overcast but no rain.

Next, I moved through the town of Sandwich and continued along Rt 6A east. Once I merged with Rt 149 I recognized a familiar territory. My destination was just a few kilometers away and I reached it at 1:00pm, after riding 136km (~85mi). Interestingly, I was less tired than after riding Barnstable-Chatham-Barnstable route (100km = 60mi) the last year. Well, my knees were sore for the reminder of the day but I wasn't exhausted. It was the longest distance I rode on bike so far and I don't plan on breaking this record for a long time (if ever).

Historic watermill in Sandwich center.

When it comes to the bike setup, it worked pretty well. Fenders were useless - it didn't rain, but having them on the bike was a kind of bad weather insurance. Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires (well, the front one only) were great. Smooth rolling and usable even on the few dirt paths. The Pika saddlebag (I have to write a review soon) was all I needed. I managed to stuff my spare tube, tools, clothes for change and lightweight shoes in it. The rest - a camera, phone, cue cards, some maps and granola bars, I placed in  a small handlebar bag. I took two water bottles and to one of them I added two Nuun tablets - something I tried for the first time. I really like them. They are supposed to replenish lost electrolytes without sugar. And once dissolved in water, they have a great taste. I bought more water bottles in Plymouth and added more Nuun tablets in them. I also had a single packet of Cliff Shot Razz Gel. I guess this is a kind of thing road cyclists like to use a lot. I got this packet as a free sample with another online parts order. Maybe it was because of its raspberry flavoring, but I doubt it - the gel quickly ended up in a trash bin. The taste was disgusting. Like eating a huge spoon full of sugar with a fake fruity flavor. I think I stick to my chocolate granola bars.

Well, that's it. I am happy I managed to finally ride this route. I am sure I deserved a pint of good beer.

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and SKS Longboard fenders

The days in July are just long enough to go for a ~60km (40mi) ride after work. I need about 3 hrs to complete such ride and if I leave my work at 5pm, I should be back home shortly before it gets dark.

With this in mind, I decided to explore my northern neighborhoods and visit the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail connecting Lowell with Carlisle. The trail is fully paved, so no off-road riding this time. We had a cloudy day yesterday, but we didn't get any rain. Well, at least not until 5pm, so knowing my luck this week, it started raining shortly after I left my office and pretty much didn't stop until I got home, 60km later. Having said that, I was very happy I didn't take my rain shell with me. Wearing it would just make me sweaty and even though my wool shirt was completely wet after a while, it didn't matter at all. The day was hot, very humid with no wind. The rain was misty and mild. My shirt was wet but I didn't even realize it until I took it off at home.

Since the rain felt more like a gentle water spray, the water falling down from the sky didn't matter that much. The bigger issue was the water on the ground. That's why I was really happy that I installed fenders on my bike recently. When I was looking for fenders, I wasn't sure which model would work best for me. Aluminum fenders are durable but heavy. Chromoplastic ones are relatively lightweight, but may be flimsy and short-lived. I decided to buy something inexpensive first, just to see how I would like having fenders on my bike, knowing that I may have to buy more durable fenders in the future.

I bought SKS Longboard that cost just $35 but as their name indicates, are long. And this is good. As you can see in the picture above, the coverage is excellent and rubber mud flaps are greatly reducing chances of being sprayed. Fenders are very lightweight, being made out of plastic, and the only metal parts are the steel stays. Installing Longboards was relatively easy, although I had to make some adjustments with the rear one. The frame on my  Lemond Poprad has mounting points at the brake bridge and the dropouts, but no chainstay bridge. Plus, there was not enough space between the chainstays to fit the fender. I purchased the 45mm wide fenders to go with 35mm tires on my bike. The chainstay space was only 40mm. I had to cut the fender a little bit on each side. Since the fender is plastic, that part was easy.

A bit more complicated was to figure out how to secure the bottom end of the fender. After playing with different p-clamps, I decided to use the easiest solution and simply zip-tie it to the frame. May not look too pretty, but it works. Nothing rattles.

In general, Longboards work quite well. My feet stay dry, my bike was clean. The only parts of the bike I had to clean after the ride was the chain and the cassette. If I had to complain about these fenders, I would say that the biggest problem with Longboards is their stiffness. Or the lack of it. The fenders don't rattle, but they are not self-supported. The plastic is flexible and that's why plastic fenders need 2 stays on each side of the wheel instead of just 1 as you would see on aluminum models. There is an advantage of flexible fenders, though. In case of a collision (as if some object gets between the fender and the wheel), the plastic fender would simply deform. That may save you from falling. On the other hand, because these fenders are so flexible, my front rubber mud flap once got caught between the fender and the tire and as a result got torn a bit. Next time SKS, stiffer mud flaps please. Having said that, for $35, the Longboards are a decent choice.

Now going back to the Bruce Freeman Trail. Since this bikeway was built in place of railway tracks, you can expect it to be flat and straight. It really feels just like a long sidewalk. Reminds me our local Minuteman Trail a lot. Not surprising - the Minuteman was built in place of the railway as well.

What I did like it a lot, and it is something I didn't see on Minuteman Trail anywhere, was the bike repair station. Self-repair, of course. I loved the idea of a bike rack, with a bunch of handy tools and a pump anyone in need can use.

Tomorrow is time for another bike ride. Let's hope the muggy weather goes away soon.

Schwalbe Marathon Supreme - did I walk under a ladder?

I was looking for new tires recently. I wanted something I could use mostly on pavement, fast rolling, lightweight, but wider than the standard "roadie" 23-25mm tires. Remembering the old rule that buying cheap usually means buying twice, I thought about going for the "best": Grand Bois Cypres Extra Leger. These tires come in 700x32c size, weigh only 232g and are supposed to be the Holy Grail of on-road riding. These fake French tires (since they are as French as I am - they are made in Japan by Panasonic, err... Panaracer), are very thin and lightweight but relatively wide, which is supposed to result in a very comfortable ride. The sidewalls are soft and supple, cushioning road vibrations. They have almost no tread so I can't expect them to work in slick mud at all but they are apparently THE solution for longer rides on pavement, as many reviews indicate. And as the true Holy Grail, they are not only crazy expensive ($85 each) but also completely... unavailable. Well, the last is not entirely true. The do show up sometimes but recently with tan sidewalls, which I don't like at all. Since they exist in all-black version as well, I decided to wait for it to show up.

This all meant that I had to look for an alternative and after some thinking I decided to buy Schwalbe Marathon Supreme in 700x32c size. These tires live by their name - Marathon tire is a legend. The Supreme version is supposed to be lighter (I measured 370g per tire), with softer sidewalls for more comfortable ride, without sacrificing durability. They are not the cheapest ($62 is still pretty steep) but they may be the best commuter tires.

Installing these on my bike was quite straightforward although not painless. They were a bit tight but with an aid of a couple of levers I finally managed to put them on my Velocity A23 rims. The next day I was ready for the first ride. And this is where all the fun ended and my bad luck started. This must have been the worst bad luck I had on bike so far. After only a couple of miles, I heard a loud hiss coming from the rear tire. Getting a flat tire is nothing unusual but I think that earlier that day I must have broken a mirror, walked under a ladder and crossed paths with a black cat.

It turned out that a long nail penetrated the tire all the way in, straight through its sidewall, making two huge holes in the tube. There was no way I could have it fixed roadside. Fortunately, I wasn't too far from a local bike store where I had to buy a new tube and a new tire. Obviously, they didn't have the Marathons in stock so I ended up with a cheap Vittoria Randonneur on my rear wheel. This one turned out to be even harder to put on the rim than Marathons. Anyway, I was able to get back home.

So this is how $62 went straight into a drain. The tire is destroyed. The sidewall is ripped too much and there is no way to fix it. I will have to order a new one. I am not blaming Schwalbe on what happened. Very few tires would survive a close encounter with a nail of this size. It is just a pity to have a brand new tire destroyed on the first ride. I was really starting to like them.

Integrating with your bike - the fitting process

Recently, I decided to take my biking experience just a notch further and try a professional bike fitting process. Until then, I was doing all of the adjustments on my bike myself, based on the knowledge I gained on Internet, from books and articles and by the trail and error. As a result, I have a bike now that I feel quite comfortable on and it seems relatively well fitted to my body proportions.

Still, this approach may work for some, but realistically it will never substitute a professional bike fit. This is because a bike fit is much more than putting a new stem or handlebars on your bike. It is a complex process that will help you find the right size bike, the best (e.g. most aerodynamic or most comfortable) position or eliminate that pain bothering you whenever you ride. A typical bike fit session takes about 1.5-2 hrs and starts with investigating your body capabilities - how flexible you are, what is your range of motion, etc., followed by taking your body measurements: inseam, arm length, shoulder width, etc. You may be surprised, just as I was when I heard that I had relatively long legs but short arms. I guess this may explain why I always looked for a way to move the handlebars closer to the saddle - I just felt like being too stretched on my bike.

The session will continue with putting you on a bike with a frame that fits your body proportions best. And since we have a huge number of different frame designs to choose from, the best way to compare them and measure them is not the seat and top tube length anymore, but stack and reach.

Stack and reach dimensions of a bicycle frame (Source: Google Images)

Because of sloping top tubes of today's bike frames, stack and reach should be measured when finding your optimum bike size. Once you sit on your bike, it is time to make some initial adjustments - saddle height, handlebars position, etc. Next, the pro fitter will look for the way you sit on the bike, your back position, your arms and the way you pedal. At this point of my session I learned that I had a tendency to move my knees outward on the pedal upstroke and inward on downstroke. We started to investigate this problem and it turned out that moving my center of gravity by lowering the handlebars helped, but also that I have high foot arches and my feet were collapsing inward when pedaling. Placing new insoles in my shoes solved the problem.

Eventually, you should feel being fully integrated with your bike. Your back should be straight, your arms relaxed, you should be supporting your body using your legs and your core muscles, your legs should move smoothly in a forward-backward motion (This is how my pro fitter referred to it: "Think about it as moving your feet forward-backward, not up-down").

I have to say that this was a new experience and definitely helped me looking a bit differently at my bike and the way I ride. I learned many new facts about the way a bike should fit me and the way I should position myself on a bike. If you think about riding many miles, if you are looking for a new bike, think about a pro bike fit session as well.

Buying locally vs. buying online

I visited several local bicycle shops in my area recently and I am becoming more and more frustrated. Once a while I would hear that I should support my local economy and buy everything locally. This includes bike parts and accessories. Well, even if I wanted to, it doesn't work and I end up buying everything online. Let's compare:

Buying locally:

+ I can have in-person conversation with the salesman and often get an advice.

+ I can take stuff I buy home imediatelly.

+ I can get a better feeling of color, form, function of things I buy and in case of clothing, I can try them on.

+ Returns are as easy as a walk to the store.

+/- Price is sometimes a bit higher, but I don't pay shipping charges.

- Often local stores don't carry things I am looking for.

Your local bike store knows best what you need. (Source: yehudamoon.com)

Buying online:

+ Wide selection. I can always find what I need.

+ Usually best price is guaranteed.

+/- I have to pay shipping charges but I can avoid paying a higher tax rate.

- I can't see or feel what I am buying. I can't try things on. I have to rely on what I read about the product online.

- No or very limited help and advice available.

- I have to wait for my order to arrive.

- Returning things may be problematic. Instead of just stopping at my local store I have to repack everything and send it by mail. Often, I have to call first and get a return number, etc.

Four pluses, one minus for buying locally and 2 pluses, 4 minuses for buying online. If buying locally is so good why am I not doing it more often? The answer is that single minus on my "buying locally" list. This is the main problem with local stores. Most of them carry a certain line of products and simply do not offer anything beyond that. Do you want a new bike? Visit a local store and choose from a wide selection from Trek and Specialized. Anything else? Oh yes, we have that one Cervelo as well (Well, it is not usually that bad but you get my point). Want some bike clothes? We have Pearl Izumi and Bontrager. That's all. Want new tires? We have Bontrager and Specialized. And 3 types of Continentals.

I hope you see my point. The main problem with local stores is that they do not have the space to carry all sorts of different products. Which means that if you are looking for some mainstream product from Specialized, Trek or Bontrager, you are well covered. But if you want a Salsa bike on Clement tires and a ShowersPass jacket - tough luck. Better try online.

Exploring new paths

Some people ride their bikes just for the ride itself. But for me, that's not enough. I don't see a point in riding for 200km straight just to spend more time in the saddle. For me, riding is just a tool for visiting new places and seeing new things. These things don't have to be huge, like some steep mountains in Karakoram. They can be just new locations in my neighborhood.

With this in mind, I went on a ride Thursday, after work. I was trying to find out some alternative route from my work in Burlington to the Reformatory Branch Trail in Concord. First, I took left from Burlington Rd and after a few more turns a was on Wilson Rd. Once I crossed Page Rd I was supposed to see a trail going around the Old Reservoir. Instead, all I saw was someone's driveway. It turned out that the trail was slightly to the left, well hidden between the trees.

Unfortunately, riding around the reservoir was not a pleasant experience. The trail is very narrow. In places - so narrow that you can't see it between the overgrown bushes. There are some fallen trees, some muddy sections. Worst of it that I got lost a bit and instead of riding toward the Carriage Drive, I ended up on Page Rd. The Old Reservoir trail is just not for my bike. A mountain bike would be more suitable there but even then, I am not sure I would enjoy riding it.

I continued south and at the end of Range Way I found the beginning of Simonds Brook Trail. Unfortunately, after so many rainy days earlier this month, the trail looked more like a dried river bed. Riding there was difficult at first and when it got better eventually, I ended up at a large opening with high-voltage power lines running through it. This is where I had to change my course since the meadow was too wet to ride there and looked more like a bog. I found some alternate route towards Fifer Ln, which eventually led me to the main road - Bedford St. The second of new trails in the neighborhood turned out to be a poor choice as well.

I rode South Rd west, and just north of Hanscom airfield I found well-marked beginning of Hartwell Town Forest Trail. Since the entrance was so inviting I had high hopes for this route, which could connect me to the Reformatory Branch Trail. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a nightmare. Just after a few turns the nice forest path changes into a heavily overgrown, extremely narrow path, with millions of roots everywhere. Had I used a mountain bike, the situation could have been a bit better, but riding 700x35c tires in such a place was no fun but hard work. I wanted to yell after Max Cavalera, "Roots, bloody roots!". Then, after a short ride into the forest, my trip ended. The rest of the trail was a bog and wading nearly ankle-deep in water, I decided to turn around. On my way back, while still in the forest, I could hear the roaring sound of jets taking off at Hanscom and I wondered how people can live so close to the airfield. Anyway, the third trail was a failure as well.

I decided to take South Rd up north toward the Reformatory Branch Trail and ride to Concord. Once there, I stopped at the Old North Bridge and wanted to cross it to merge with Liberty St on the other side. Not a chance. Just after the bridge the entire path was completely flooded by the nearby Concord River. With so much rain we had recently, this is probably not surprisining.

I turned back and head up north the Monument St. There was a tiny Red Coat Ln on my left and there I found the beginning of Estabrook Woods Trail. This is a path that runs through the forest up north, towards Carlisle. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to continue in that direction. It was close to 7pm and I had to head back home, but the trail looked promising. I am sure I will be back there some time later this summer.

I rode back to Concord center and then took the Battle Road Trail towards Lexington. Again, the little bridge at the beginning of the trail at Meriam's Corner was underwater. I had to find my way around it but fortunately, the rest of the trail did not have any further surprises.

Finally, some time around 7:30pm and after 42km (26mi) I was back home.

Crazy spring weather

I have to admit, this spring's weather is driving me nuts. I stopped looking at forecast and simply just assume that it IS going to rain everyday. We probably have had more thunderstorms and downpours this month than the entire year of 2012. One thing is sure - never leave the house for a bike ride without a rain shell and those waterproof pants.

Crazy spring weather (Source: yehudamoon.com)